ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — A member of the Texas State Teacher's Association is now calling for an ECISD board member to resign following posts made on his Facebook page.
Doyle Woodall, who is the ECISD Board Member in Position 4, came under scrutiny recently after he posted a photo of a noose on his social media. The photo was accompanied with the words "If we want to make America great again we will have to make evil people fear punishment again."
Javier Ruiz, president of the Ector County TSTA, says that several ECISD employees were angered by the post and felt it was insensitive.
Although Woodall made the post prior to George Floyd's death, Ruiz said in a press release the post made employees question Woodall's "sense of fairness and his fitness to help govern a school district with many employees of color and a student body that is overwhelmingly minority".
The statement from Ruiz specifically addresses the noose in the picture, saying:
"A noose has long been a symbol of racial prejudice and hatred in our country, dating back to the years when many innocent people were lynched strictly because of the color of their skin. To this day, it is a symbol that people of color loathe, and so should every fair-minded American. "
Based on this picture as well as others that had since been brought to the attention of the TSTA, they were now calling for Woodall to step down from the ECISD school board.
"We demand that Doyle Woodall resign from his position of trustee on the school board and urge Ector County ISD families to join us in signing the petition," the press release stated.
A Change.org petition was started to get Woodall to resign. As of 4 p.m. on June 8 the petition has just over 3,900 signatures.
Woodall has since taken down the initial post.
When asked to comment on the situation, ECISD Superintendent Dr. Scott Muri and ECISD Board of Trustees President Dr. Donna Smith gave the following joint statement:
"We have seen several of the posts made by Mr. Woodall and find them offensive and demeaning. They do not represent the views of Ector County ISD. We embrace and serve a diverse staff and student body as well as a diverse community. Mr. Woodall’s posts cut across many of those diverse groups. We cannot tolerate this kind of insensitivity. Images and words that hurt our kids and families, hurt us, too."
"We have spoken with Mr. Woodall about this. We understand his perspective, and his right to express his opinions through his personal platforms. But, we cannot accept messages that offend or marginalize members of our community or distract from the work we do to educate the community’s children."
You can read the full joint statement on the ECISD Facebook page.
After speaking with Doyle Woodall, he announced he has no intention of resigning.
For Woodall's full interview with NewsWest 9 click here.
If you would like to view or sign the petition asking for Woodall's resignation, you can do so here.
MORE FROM NEWSWEST 9: